Photos from PoPville – Elizabeth

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Their petition was a success. Unfortunately, they didn’t win the battle in time to start construction for the new spring season. Dacha will be closing down for a short period in the coming weeks to expand the outdoor bar/truck but won’t be building a permanent structure likely until late November 2014.

Not trying to stir the pot, just looking for genuine opinions. I love Liz both as an actress and humanitarian. But, is anyone else bothered by the fact that there is a massive mural of her, a British white woman, in one of DC’s most important historically black neighborhoods? Seems to just scream gentrification to me.

it’d be disingenuous to not be so tone deaf. dacha often is packed to the edges with an exclusively white clientele. considering the same can’t be said about the other new spots in the same area, that’s not something that happens accidentally.

Liz spent 5 years living in DC due to her relationship with Senator John Warner. She gave money to the Walker-Whitman clinic, which now graces her name. Her time in DC was short, but impactful.
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I’m ok with the Liz Taylor mural. The vast majority of murals in DC, and especially in Shaw, depict African-Americans and that won’t change.

Yeah. I think the second point you made goes to why this really isn’t an issue. There are murals all over this city, especially this part of town, and the overwhelming majority of them are not of white women.

While she did work and attended functions in DC, I don’t believe she actually *lived* in DC. Pretty sure she and Sen Warner lived out at his huge estate in Middleburg estate (which was sold back in 2011).

I’m sure all of the residents and local businesses in Shaw appreciate the piece of work…
Elizabeth Taylor adored the Shaw neighborhood and all the residents who lived there, right?

The key difference with this mural, is that it just doesn’t fit. When i think of the spirit and vibe of the overall neighborhood, she doesn’t come to mind. As opposed to the “murals all over the city”.

So what exactly would you be posting if you did in fact intend to “stir the pot?” Besides – British! White! Woman! Do you know she also was in a Horse movie? Also Lassie? You have no end of outrage to work with there!

It bothers me as much as seeing a convenience store named Black Supermarket(13th and Florida NE, no longer open) smack dab in the middle of a historically white/Jewish neighborhood, a neighborhood that has since changed itself many times over. You people are absolutely ridiculous. Go find something else to pick on.

well, to be clear, i wasn’t saying it was racist but simply out of place. the reason i posed the question was because i recently got into a discussion with individuals who work for a prominent nonprofit in the Shaw area. they felt, and i tend to agree, that while it is a beautiful mural it seems to pay tribute (very prominently) to a historical figure who has nothing to do with a neighborhood that it is already so rich in its own history. while there are other murals that pay homage to black figures in the area, it doesn’t take away the fact that, Liz Taylor has as much to do with Shaw as the Queen of England. but i do agree, it is a beautiful piece of art.

AMDCer is correct. Also, I’m not sure where your sense of entitlement comes from. You and the people at this “prominent nonprofit in the Shaw area” assume that the owners of private property owe you/them something. It’s not your/their wall, and as long as it’s not within the fine arts overlay of Georgetown or Capitol Hill it’s legal and not anyone else’s business. But you’re “not trying to stir the pot,” though.

Why a mural of Taylor? The late-actress had long been a supporter of LGBT issues, and even co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), and two decades ago the D.C. based Whitman Walker Clinic opened the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center. Councilman Graham, who spoke at Dacha’s signing ceremony of the mural, said that because of Taylor’s generosity “many lives in DC were saved…and many people where helped through a difficult time for the city”.

Also, Liz Taylor and John Warner both lived in DC proper in a mansion in Georgetown.

The only thing that bothers me about the mural is that it reminds me about the time that Council Member Jim Graham flew to her wake in Los Angeles and charged his the city taxpayers for his stargazing trip.

Still – art should be free from any cause/ association. If you own a wall you can paint whatever the heck you want. I want to qualify that to be not racist/offensive – but I’m not actually sure how that would work with the whole constitution thing. . .

Wow, I genuinely wasn’t trying to stir the pot. Merely carrying over to a neighborhood blog a conversation I had with fellow Washingtonians regarding a neighborhood (isn’t that what Popville is?). If a respectful question that even touches on the ideas of race, class, gentrification, or culture immediately result in such strong and argumentative feelings, it speaks more to the individuals the question was posed to than the actual question. Additionally, I was not calling for the removal of the mural and I don’t need to feel entitled to comment on something that is prominently featured in my community. I am however, entitled to my opinion.

Most people answered respectfully and offered some genuinely good points that I hadn’t considered. A couple of you guys should relax a bit.

Why are you so bitter? Anony brought up a very valid point about the mural – some people agreed while others did not. Why the caustic jab? You don’t know anything about this person or their background.
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“it speaks more to the individuals the question was posed to than the actual question” – Victoria, you do realize that you are proving anony’s point above, right?